Epic Games and Google made a "secret" agreement for $800 million
Details of the deal surfaced during a court session regarding the settlement of an antitrust dispute between the companies.
Fortnite
According to The Verge, as part of the agreement, Epic Games and Google agreed on "co-development of products and joint marketing commitments." Specifically, Epic Games will now assist in promoting Android, while Google will promote Fortnite. Additionally, Google will start using the Unreal Engine more actively in its projects.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney explained that this agreement is related to the development of the metaverse, but he did not go into details.
Judge James Donato expressed concerns that the multimillion-dollar partnership might have prompted the companies to resolve the conflict earlier due to a potential Google Play monopoly. Allegedly, this could have been a way for Google to convince Epic Games to stop pushing for better terms in the store. However, Sweeney denied such claims.
It is worth recalling that the antitrust conflict between Epic Games and Google ignited in August 2020 after Fortnite was removed from Google Play. At the end of last year, the companies agreed to put an end to it. They submitted a draft settlement to the court, which included provisions for reducing commissions for purchases made through alternative payment systems and simplifying the installation of third-party app stores on Android. The court now needs to decide whether to approve it or not.